Photo albums are popularly used to store and display photographs. A typical photo album has a front and a back cover, with several interior pages in which to store photos. The cover may be preprinted with text and/or graphics, or may be provided blank.
Photo albums may be bound together in any of a number of different ways. One style of binding is a simple multi-ring binder, such as a standard three-ring binder. Another style of binding is post binding, which utilizes metal posts with screw head holders at either end. A further alternative is strap binding, which holds the pages together using a narrow plastic strip. Other binding methods known in the art are also used.
The covers of most photo albums are made using a turned edge, or case made, construction. A sheet of flexible material is glued to the face of a board. The edge of the material is then “turned,” or folded over the edge, and then glued to the back of the board.
The cover is typically made from materials that are durable and water-resistant. One such material is plastic laminated paper, in which a sheet of paper is laminated with a clear plastic sheet to provide water-resistance. Another material is vinyl-coated paper, in which a paper is coated or impregnated with vinyl to provide water-resistance. Another frequently-used material is plastic, such as polypropylene, which is inherently water-resistant.
Because the cover of a typical photo album cover is water-resistant, it is a poor surface on which to write text or draw pictures. Writing or drawing, particularly with ink, is easily smudged or rubbed off. Consequently, most consumers currently do not write or draw on water-resistant photo albums.